In consideration of the increases in international travel and trade, and emergence and re-emergence of new international disease threats, the Forty-eighth World Health Assembly in 1995 called for a substantial revision of the International Health Regulations. The new Regulations will enter into force on June 15, 2007.

The purpose and scope of the new Regulations are "to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, and which avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade." Because the Regulations are not limited to certain diseases, but are applicable to new or evolving disease threats, they should remain current with developments in the evolution of diseases and the factors affecting their emergence and transmission. The Regulations also cover certificates applicable to international travel and transport, and requirements for international ports, airports and ground crossings. This new edition of International Health Regulations (2005) therefore contains a range of new and unprecedented innovations.